BEST PLACE TO WASTE TIME PRODUCTIVELY Minneapolis 2006 - Minnesota Historical Society Library

Face it: You yearn to waste time. But the older you get, the guiltier you feel about the naps, the Playstation, the beer. Luckily there are respectable, productive ways to while away the hours, and the best local example of this is the Minnesota Historical Society Library. Minnesota history, believe it or not, is colorful and a little twisted, and the library contains a breathtaking array of academically inclined goodies so you can discover the juicy details. In addition to federal and state censuses, there are records from state correctional facilities and asylums, court records, and indexes of birth and death certificates. You can't just look up your neighbors—these records are very old, mostly, and some require certain permissions for access, but most are available for perusal. There are also decades' worth of city and rural directories, various newspapers (Twin Cities and otherwise) on microfilm, all manner of maps and additional resources far too numerous to mention. Spend a lazy afternoon goofing off and indulging your inner egghead all at once. When you're done you'll walk away smarter. Can't say that about naps or beer, now can you?